BLACK DANCE STORIES Continues With Oliver Taparga, Jasmine Hearne and More

Black Dance Stories continues during the month of October featuring dancers and choreographers who use their work to raise societal issues, strengthen community through their programming, and use history as a source of inspiration. Upcoming episodes from the story sharing and discussion series will feature Oliver Taparga, Jasmine Hearne (Oct 15), Souleymane "Solo" Badolo, Francesca Harper (Oct 22), Jennifer Harge, and Desmond Richardson (Oct 29). Archived episodes featuring earlier October artists-Davalois Fearon, Kevin Iega Jeff, David Roussève, and Melanie Green-are archived on the Black Dance Stories YouTube channel. The series streams live on YouTube every Thursday in October at 6 pm.

Black Dance Stories upholds, highlights, and celebrates Black creatives. The series is consistent with the tradition of Black artists finding a way for their voices to be heard during turbulent times. When civil, moral, and social freedoms are challenged and at times stifled, Black artists find ways to use their talents as activism.

The team consists of Black creatives in the arts, including Charmaine Warren, Kimani Fowlin, Nicholas Hall, Cynthia Tate, Gabe Dekoladenu, and Kaitlyn Chandler. Antonio Burkett (International Interpreting) and Shannon Morrison (Morr Interpreting) have worked together to provide ASL interpreting services for Black Dance Stories. The series launched in June 2020. Previous artists include yonTande, Meredith Rainey, Sydnie Mosley, Raja Feather Kelly, Oluwadamilare "Dare" Ayorinde, Zane Booker, Leslie Parker, Wanjiru Kamuyu, Ayodele Casel, Stefanie Batten Bland, Jamar Roberts, Tiffany Rea-Fisher, Cynthia Oliver, Marjani Forté-Saunders, Lorenzo "Rennie" Harris, J. Bouey, Kyle Marshall, Bebe Miller, Kyle Abraham, Nia Love, Maria Bauman Morales, Camille A. Brown, Jason Samuels Smith, Kayla Hamilton, Germaul Barnes, and Okwui Okpokwasili. nora chipaumire presented her new work [another] township manifesto on Black Dance Stories.